{"id":159926,"date":"2025-09-10T06:26:25","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T05:26:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/?post_type=review&p=159926"},"modified":"2025-09-10T06:27:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T05:27:13","slug":"double-catamaran-review-fountaine-pajot-41-and-fountaine-pajot-44-tested","status":"publish","type":"review","link":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/reviews\/boat-tests\/double-catamaran-review-fountaine-pajot-41-and-fountaine-pajot-44-tested","title":{"rendered":"Double catamaran review: Fountaine Pajot 41 and Fountaine Pajot 44 tested"},"content":{"rendered":"

Continued development and refinement are key drivers behind the ever-increasing popularity of cruising catamarans<\/a>. The scale of the rate of change in these boats was brought home to me when I stepped on board a Fountaine Pajot Bahia 46 built in 2004.<\/p>\n

These were very desirable and well-regarded designs in their day, yet the extent to which internal volumes and the blending of indoor and outdoor living spaces have advanced over the intervening two decades on the best of today\u2019s models is nothing short of astounding.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s designs are a lot heavier than the older model and have proportionately smaller sail areas. Yet sailing performance remains remarkably good for vessels that offer so much accommodation, and newer models therefore still have potential to cover significant distances in respectable times.<\/p>\n

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The Fountaine Pajot 41. Photo: Jean-Marie Liot\/Fountaine Pajot<\/p><\/div>\n

Solid and smooth<\/h2>\n

I was lucky to sail both of the new Fountaine Pajot models in a blustery 15-25 knots of onshore breeze, with occasional stronger gusts, in a brief interlude between heatwaves. With one reef in the mainsail, both boats felt very solid. Even upwind on the smaller boat there was no slamming of waves under the bridgedeck, though the sea state hadn\u2019t had time to build to its full extent.<\/p>\n

Upwind we sailed quite wide angles, often with a 55\u00b0-60\u00b0 true wind angle, which produced respectable speeds. The smaller Fountaine Pajot 41 consistently made a shade over 7 knots in these conditions, while the Fountaine Pajot 44 was around half a knot faster on average. Unsurprisingly, both boats lose speed very quickly if you try to pinch closer to the wind.<\/p>\n

These designs are both relatively heavy, but despite the strong gusts both had a reassuringly solid feel. Even upwind we could likely have carried full sail and that was certainly true once we bore away onto a reach. However, neither boat accelerates quickly in gusts and realistically shaking the reef out would have made very little difference to the average speed in these conditions.<\/p>\n

The hydraulic steering is lightweight but inevitably doesn\u2019t have as much feel as boats with a more direct linkage. This wasn\u2019t a problem upwind or reaching, but made it more difficult to maintain a straight course with a building quartering sea.<\/p>\n

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The best new yachts at the 2025 International Multihull Show<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/header>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
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The International Multihull Show in La Grande Motte has become a must-visit event for anyone interested in the latest cruising…<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t